Linda Martin, from Ferndown, had been visiting one of her favourite photography spots, Stanpit Marsh, to photograph wildlife in its natural habitat.

Linda Martin(Image: Linda Marin)

She said: "It was a bit of a grim day, but it was very low tide at Stanpit Marsh.

"I was standing on the Bailey Bridge because there was a little egret fishing in the channel."

Linda, who regularly visits sites including Longham Lakes, Blashford Lakes and the New Forest, said she suddenly noticed a large fish splashing around near where the egret was wading.

"It was making a lot of noise, splashing and chasing smaller fish," she said.

"Then all of a sudden it came leaping out of the water, scattering smaller fish everywhere."

Linda, who uses a Canon R5 Mark II with a Canon RF 200-800mm lens, captured the photo just as the sea bass broke the surface beside the bird.

(Image: Linda Marin)

"I just concentrated on the egret, who was fishing quite nicely," she said.

"He caught probably eight or nine fish while I was watching him.

"But I decided the simplest thing would be to keep my camera on him and hope the fish came up somewhere around. "As soon as I heard the splash and saw movement, I pressed the shutter and got the shot."

Later, after posting the image to a Christchurch Harbour birdwatching group, fellow members identified the breaching fish as a sea bass.

Linda said she was thrilled with the result - her first successful shot of a fish breaking the surface.

Adding: "It's the first time I've ever managed to capture that moment.

"You never know where a fish will come up, so it's really just luck and timing."

The image bears a striking resemblance to one that recently won Wildlife Photographer of the Year, taken by Qingrong Yang in China, which also showed a fish leaping beneath an egret.

Linda added: "It was lovely to see that. It's a similar kind of moment - nature in motion. "That's what I always try to capture."